Helpless and Silent
by Random Little Remus Lover
Summary: Kurt is surprised to find Karofsky at his door, eager for revenge. He finds himself in the hospital, unable to speak.
1. Scared and Lonely

"Rachel?"

Kurt had found her again, in the auditorium that he missed dearly.

"Kurt!" She ran over and hugged him this time and he laughed.

"I had another solo audition this afternoon," he smiled "I sang _Defying Gravity _and I must say it would have put even Miss Rachel Berry herself to shame," He winked, once again the cocky Kurt she had always loved to hate.

"Did you get it?" She asked

"I don't know yet, I've just come from it. They said they wanted time to deliberate and would announce it at tonight's practice. Keep your fingers crossed for me?" He smiled, crossing his own fingers.

Rachel laughed and crossed her fingers. "I'm sure you did great, _but_ I am curious about a certain dapper young Warbler who had that solo at sectionals…" She bobbed her eyebrows with a mischievous grin on her face.

He sighed. "So I'm kind of in love with him." He chuckled a little, enjoying the feel of admitting it.

She squealed. "I've heard so many romantic stories from my dads, I cannot _wait _'til you two get together it'll be-"

"Rachel, Rachel, Rachel, once again, you are getting much too far ahead of yourself. Or myself for that sake. I don't even think he likes me like that." He said grimacing a little.

She glared a little. "Well I'm sorry if I'm a tad eager to see you get someone already, Gosh! And why on Earth _wouldn't_ he like you like that? For God's sakes, you're adorable!" She argued.

He laughed and Rachel was pleased. He seemed very happy and really, that and his safety were all that mattered.

Someone opened to auditorium door and Kurt jumped. The smiled drained from his face when he saw a familiar varsity jacket, and Rachel noticed the obvious sigh of relief when he recognized that it was not Karofsky.

So it was that afternoon in mid-December when the football player was sent to find out when the auditorium would be free, that Rachel started to suspect that there was something more Kurt was not letting anyone in on.

There had to be something more. Things just didn't add up. Why would Karofsky threaten death on someone telling that he was a bully? Everyone knew that.

She invited Kurt back to her house for dinner so they could catch up more and he agreed, seeing he had a few hours before he had to be back for Warbler Rehearsal.


	2. Coming Clean

Rachel waited in silence while Kurt stared at the football player's retreating form. Her eyebrows were pulled down worriedly in the middle. "Kurt?…what really happened with Karofsky?" she asked quietly.

He rose a perfectly arched eyebrow, his mask of curiosity hiding his fright. "What do you mean? He threatened to kill me if I told anyone he was bullying me." He said hurrying through the rehearsed excuse, glancing back to the door.

"But _everyone knows he's a bully_. Why would he care? It doesn't add up Kurt…I'm scared that you're keeping something a secret that needs to get brought to light." She said honestly concerned.

He was quiet for a very long time and Rachel let him think. He shook his head slowly. The hurt deep in his eyes was obvious.

"He shoved me into a locker and I yelled at him. I followed him into the locker room and it was just the two of us." His voice cracked a little and he cleared his throat. He didn't know why on Earth he was telling her this but he couldn't stop now. "We were just yelling at each other, I got right in his face and…" Kurt squinted as tears brimmed in his eyes. "He kissed me." He said through his teeth.

Rachel gasped. She rushed across the stage to where Kurt stood and hugged him. He let a few silent tears fall. He didn't want to cry in public. He felt so weak.

As this went on in front of the curtain, neither realized that someone stood in the shadows of backstage.

Mr. Shuester had forgotten that Rachel asked for use of the auditorium, so as Santana entered through the stage door she heard the entire exchange.

She flounced out the back door again noiselessly as she pulled out her phone. Time to spread the word.

Kurt had gotten out of school early for the holidays break (many of the boys commuted home for family gatherings early) but he had to return tonight for the Warbler meeting, so he only drove all the way out so he would get to see Rachel before the holidays. He didn't want any time taken away from his family.

By the time Rachel and Kurt left the auditorium it was around three o'clock. They had talked a lot about his feelings and everything that had transpired. Rachel told him she wanted him to talk to his family about it and he had conceded to think about it.

Rachel had not driven to school so Kurt drove her home. He decided he had just enough time to stay for dinner and get back to school in time for the Warbler meeting.

When they were nearly halfway home Kurt's phone started vibrating. He cursed quietly and handed it to Rachel.

"Could you?" He asked as he refocused on the road.

"It's Mercedes calling," she said and flipped it open. "Hello, this is Rachel Berry speaking, Kurt is driving. How are you Mercedes?" She said in her bright happy tone and Kurt couldn't help but roll his eyes.

He could hear Mercedes voice buzzing excitedly on the other end but couldn't make out the words. Rachel looked pale. "What's she saying?" He asked, getting worried.

"Pull over." Two words spoken quickly and sharply. Kurt complied by pulling into the nearest strip mall and grabbing the cell.

"Mercedes?"

"Boy you better start explaining!" She sounded furious. "What the hell is this I'm hearing from_ Puck_ of all people that Karofsky _kissed_ you?" His eyes went wide. "Why the hell would you keep something like that from me? We're best friends! I can't believe this Kurt!"

"P-_Puck?_" Kurt gasped.

"Apparently I was one of the only people _not_ to know! I got texts from six different people asking about it! What the hell is _that_?" She asked incredulously.

"Oh. My. God. This is bad. Bad bad bad. Mercedes I hadn't told anyone about it happening." _Except Blaine…_ He thought. "I was going to tell my family after Christmas. Rachel just got me to tell her…someone must have overheard, we were in the auditorium…Mercedes I'm so sorry you had to find out like this." He kept wincing at the things he was saying but other than that seemed rather calm. "Do you know if…_he_ knows?" He asked quietly

"Nope, the dumb-ass is thick, he really is. And no one wants to be the one to tell him it's gotten out. You and I need to talk tonight. Call me later, alright?" She said sternly. Without waiting for an answer she hung up. She knew it was all right to leave him with Rachel. Mercedes had to do mad damage control with all these people asking about it.

The moment he hung up his phone buzzed again. It was Blaine this time.

"Blaine?" He answered breathlessly.

"Hey, Kurt, Warblers' practice just got cancelled, Wes and David are sick and so are a bunch of the other members. Just wanted to let you know so you could take your time getting back here." He had a smile in his voice but sounded very distracted. Poor boy must be rushing around telling everyone.

"Oh. Great. Thanks." Kurt said unemotionally. He was trying to focus on being embarrassed that people found out so he wouldn't be scared out of his mind that Karofsky was going to kill him. Maybe literally.

Blaine paused on the other line. Kurt imagined his thick eyebrows furrowing down in the middle as his voice gained a worried tone. "Are you alright? You sound off."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'll be out for a while longer but I definitely want to talk to you when I get back." He said

Blaine hesitated. "Are you sure…?" Kurt grimaced.

"I'm sure." He said strongly.


	3. Damage Control

Rachel, always prepared, did quite impressive damage control with Kurt. She told him to switch to the passenger side and let her drive the rest of the way.

He looked like a zombie as he obeyed.

"I'm so scared, Rachel…" He said quietly as he settled into the seat, bringing his right hand up to cover his eyes. "He's going to come after me, and I won't have a chance…" He was rubbing his temple and shaking his head hopelessly now.

"Oh stop it," Rachel said, trying to make lighter of the situation. "Karofsky is all talk. He wouldn't do that. He's on thin ice enough with the school board. You aren't even at school anymore. Plus, it's Christmas week." She was slightly flustered and trying to calm herself down in the process of convincing him. "What you need to do is to sit your family down and talk to them about what happened. Then, once you've enjoyed your winter break, things can get straightened out. You'll be totally fine, Kurt, I promise." She smiled over at him, truly believing her debate.

"You really think so…?" He asked softly, looking out the window at the quickly passing world.

"Of course." Rachel patted him quickly on his knee as they pulled into her driveway. "I promise."

After a cordial introduction, the four soon sat down to a well-prepared meal of chicken and rice.

"So, we hear you are quite the impressive soprano?" One of her fathers asked Kurt.

He blushed. "Oh, thank you. Yes, one song I've always wanted to perform is Defying Gravity." Both her fathers gushed.

"Oh we _love _Wicked. Have you seen…?"

The talk quickly changed to Broadway and favorite musicals.

Rachel's dads remarked of their own performing arts experience.

"Is that how you two met?" Kurt asked, in reference to their work in a particular musical.

They both glanced up shyly at each other. Kurt was pretty impressed with how insync the pair was, in nearly all respects. They laughed a little and Rachel smirked, as the story they were about to tell was one she knew by heart.

The inspiring story of true love that Kurt heard that night renewed his confidence. He left Rachel's house later on after a lot of talking and laughing. He gave her a big hug.

"Thanks for everything, Rachel." He smiled at her and she just nodded.

He walked to his car and felt so weird. How did he become a friend to Rachel? Things are never as you expect he supposed.

He started his long drive back to Dalton, back to Blaine. He smiled a little bit. He felt rather naïve to be happy at a time like this. He tried to shake the edges of fear out of his head but it was no use. The loneliness of his car and the darkness of the night allowed his earlier dread to creep back into his system. His stomach twisted as he thought frightfully about the upcoming days. He was eager to see and spend time with his family. He didn't want to lose what he had just gained.

He had worked himself back to a nervous wreck by the time he was back to Dalton. He ran quickly up to his room and shut the door. He sighed and turned.

"Hello, beautiful." Blaine was sitting on Kurt's bed.

Kurt jumped and nearly screamed, clapping a hand over his mouth.

Blaine laughed, completely satisfied with this reaction. Kurt's heart was racing. This surprise did not do much to calm his already fried nerves. Of course he'd thought it was Karofsky, ready to kill him. He never in a million years would he have guessed it was the boy he had a huge crush on, lounging on _his_ bed.

"Blaine! What _are_ you doing in here?" He asked, exasperated.

"You said you wanted to talk. You door was unlocked, so I figured you wouldn't mind if I hung out in here so we could talk when you got back."

Kurt rolled his eyes, after a long sigh. He glanced at his wristwatch. It was nearly ten o'clock and he was exhausted. He couldn't quite go to sleep though. He knew as soon as the light was out he would dream only of nightmarish figures in varsity jackets. He winced to himself.

Blaine was up and next to him quickly examining him "Are you alright?" He asked, lowering his ridiculous eyebrows.

Kurt sighed. "Nearly all of McKinley know what happened." He shook his head. "It's a mere matter of time before _he_ finds out." He felt hopeless. Every muscle in his body exuded depression. He felt pathetic.

Blaine's eyes were wide. "Finds out what exactly…" Kurt dropped his things and collapsed on his back on his bed. Blaine stood impatiently next to him with his hands on his hips.

Kurt raised an eyebrow as he appraised Blaine's posture. He laughed once, breathy. "You look like a worried mother hen."

"I am! …Worried, I mean." He scowled. "You better start explaining." He threatened, resisting the tempting urge to wag his finger.

Kurt sat up and Blaine sat next to him, close enough that Kurt could feel how warm he was. Before he let those thoughts register he explained how everything had happened.

They were silent for a long time when he finished explaining. Kurt sighed and flopped back again, shaking his head helplessly at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry, Kurt." Blaine said, leaning back on one arm.

Kurt shrugged. "I just don't know what to think. He absolutely petrifies me. I know that for a fact that if he ever wanted to hurt me, ever tried to, I'd be totally defenseless. I just _freeze_ when he's around me." Kurt let out a frustrated groan and covered his face with his hands. "How calmly I speak of my own demise." He murmured.

Blaine's eyebrows wrinkled "Demise? You don't honestly believe he'll _kill_ you, do you?" Kurt looked at him like he was being childish. "Kurt, trust me. This boy will not go out of his way to hurt you. You don't see him anymore. You'll be fine. Just don't go back to McKinley for a while. That shouldn't be too hard as we're on winter break now anyway. This is the perfect time for it to come out. It'll be old news by the time we're back in school. You'll be fine, Kurt." For the second time today, someone who cared about him was trying to convince themselves as well as him, that he would be fine.

Kurt could see a bit better through Blaine though. He narrowed his eyes.

"You're worried." It wasn't a question.

"What? No, I'm not." Blaine said, fumbling his hands through his hair involuntarily, then grimacing at the stiff jelled down mop.

Kurt smiled a little. "You always do that when you're lying. You forget that you jell your hair and completely screw it up with that damn nervous habit." He forgot for a moment _why_ and enjoyed for a second, that Blaine cared enough to worry.

Blaine himself swelled with a smile for a moment, astonished at how well Kurt knew him in such a small amount of time. He shook his head again, though and paced a bit. "I am not worried! I know you'll be fine." He lied.

Kurt just sighed and looked at him. He stood up and crossed to where Blaine had paced. His jaw trembled a bit and Blaine noticed. His face softened.

"You're scared…" He whispered. Kurt looked down, and away, anywhere but Blaine's eyes. Blaine waited patiently for him to meet his eyes again. He touched his shoulder and Kurt looked down. His face scrunched up a little and he threw his arms around Blaine's neck, hugging him close. Blaine was caught stiff and off guard. He wobbled for a moment before regaining his balance and hugging Kurt back. He rubbed up and down his back, hoping to comfort him.

"You'll be fine Kurt, I promise. Nothing's going to happen to you." Blaine closed his own eyes tight, memorizing this feeling, hoping dearly that Kurt really would be okay.

A/N

Thank you for all the lovely alerts and favorites and a whopping 4 reviews, lol. This is a lot of fun for me to write and I have a lot written that I just need to find time to type up. You might just get another chapter or two within today since it's a snow day and I'm doing nothing... lol.

Hope you all enjoy! suggestions are appreciated :)


	4. Christmastime Is Here

The next day was the last day of school before winter break for McKinley. Everyone kept the gossip about Kurt and Karofsky quiet. Nearly everyone in the school knew except the teachers, Finn, and Karofsky. Finn was simply oblivious and everyone was scared of telling Karofsky.

Lunchtime came and as Karofsky entered the cafeteria Jacob came up to him with a tape recorder.

"Could I get your take on the rumors floating around about you?" He squeaked.

"What rumors?" He spat.

"You mean you haven't heard them?" Jacob sneered.

"Come on, Punk, you better start talking." He threatened.

"Well everyone has been discussing how your homophobia is a mere cover-up for your crush on Kurt Hummel. I have a reliable source that says you threatened him into not telling anyone about a certain kiss, and that's why he transferred." Karofsky's jaw dropped.

He slammed the tape recorder onto the ground and shoved Jacob into the same position. "I don't _ever_ wanna hear you saying that again. It's a load of shit. That little fag has a crush on _me_ if he's spreading that shit around." He stomped away. Everyone treated him differently that day. Whispers, laughter, and stares followed him everyone he went.

_This is not good._ He thought, later that day. _Hummel will be paying for this._

By the time school was done, Finn still had managed to escape the scandalous news.

Back at Dalton, Kurt and Blaine's goodbye was quick and awkward and left Kurt with butterflies. They had decided to get together for New Years, as they really only lived about twenty minutes away from each other.

Kurt walked quickly to his car with a suitcase full of mostly unused clothes. He was wearing his favorite pair of jeans and a beloved designer sweater. He slid the suitcase in the back seat and took a final look in the direction of the school. He narrowed his eyes when he saw someone burst out of the doors. He was running right toward Kurt…

"Oh My Lord." It was Blaine. Kurt's heart made an involuntary flutter. He was wearing a loose fitting pair of jeans and a short sleeved button down.

"What are you doing? You're going to freeze!" Blaine stopped right in front of him. He was breathing heavily and Kurt shook his head of how sexy it sounded.

"You got the solo, Kurt!" Blaine exclaimed, beaming.

"Really?" Kurt couldn't believe it. Blaine just nodded excitedly. Kurt threw his arms around Blaine's neck. "Oh, yay!" He was so excited he kissed Blaine on the cheek without thinking. Blaine pulled back a little and looked at him funny. Kurt quickly dropped his arms and his gaze dropped to his feet. "Um, thanks, Blaine, but I should get going. It's a long drive back," he laughed nervously and Blaine smiled, looking rather amused.

"Yeah, I'll see you on New Years." He smiled and waved a bit as he trotted off back toward the school. Kurt watched his retreating figure wondering what on Earth went on in that boy's head. Just as he turned to get in his car, Blaine turned around and glanced back, longing to make things right.

He pulled into his father's driveway a few hours later. He grabbed his suitcase and headed up the steps, a bright smile on his face. The door was open.

"Dad? Carole? Finn?" He called as he stepped in and set his suitcase down. His family came down and welcomed him home with hugs and questions.

Kurt told them all about his classes as well as exciting news from the Warblers. He still couldn't believe he got the solo. Then, their tradition of last minute shopping distracted him from everything he was doing.

His dad helped him pick out a beautiful sweater, and a pretty pair of earrings in addition to the few sweet gifts he'd already gotten her. For Finn, Kurt grudgingly agreed to help purchase a custom made jersey of his favorite team. Carole and Burt had already gotten the three of them tickets to the team's game on the 26th. The jersey was _so_ last year, though.

Anyway, Christmas morning came and Kurt was very happy to receive a Dalton sweatshirt as well as an abundance of gift cards. Nobody dared to shop for Kurt.

Carole thought it would be a good idea to get him a moleskin journal and Kurt really liked it. He definitely thought he would put it to good use.

Kurt secretly wondered what Blaine was getting. He wondered if Blaine had gotten him anything. Kurt had gotten Blaine a cute scarf and matching gloves since Blaine was always complaining about having cold hands. He wished he could warm Blaine's hands up by holding them, _but…_

Anyway, Christmas dinner with just the four of them was lovely. It was casual and homey and made Kurt sentimental about growing up so fast. Well, it seemed fast to him. He knew 16 (almost 17) years was certainly enough time but he always did feel as if he was forced to grow up early when his mother died.

Kurt shook the sad thoughts out of his head as the four sat down to watch A Charlie Brown Christmas, a Hummel tradition. Burt tossed his arms, one around Carole and one around Kurt, and Kurt smiled, leaning into his dad. He appreciated when his dad put his arm around him. He used to do it all the time when he was little, but not so much anymore. Truthfully, Kurt missed it. He really enjoyed the time they spent as a family, and let all his troubles fly away. He felt safe and happy with his father's arms secure around him.


	5. Naive and Unsuspecting

The next day, Burt, Carole, and Finn were away at the game, and Kurt stayed home to cook dinner. He planned to discuss the Karofsky situation with his parents and Finn over dinner. He had his iPod repeating The Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack over and over again. He never got enough of the interesting jazz. All in all, it was a rather peaceful day. He thought back on the conversation he had with Mercedes the night before. She was very sympathetic about Kurt's initial reluctance to tell anyone. It did kind of hurt her feelings that Kurt confided in Blaine, but she understood and didn't let it show. They did have a great talk and Kurt loved her all the more for cheering him up so much. He had become slightly bipolar since everyone found out. He would begin to feel better, then something would remind him and he would get scared again. It was weird, and Kurt did not like the feeling.

He glanced at his watch and smiled. Finn, Burt, and Carole would be home soon. He laughed to himself as he remembered Finn's endearing Facebook status. _Big game with Mom and Burt! Kurt stayed home to cook and clean…Apparently chores are even better than sports. Whatever you say, Cinderella… ;)_

Christmastime Is Here had just started to play on Kurt's iPod when there was a sharp knock on the door. His eyebrows furrowed as he gave a final stir to the pasta sauce and headed to get the door. He naively opened the door without bothering to look out at who it was.

Seeing Karofsky's blank stare sent Kurt into a state of panic. "Oh my God!" He jumped away reflexively, which allowed Karofsky to enter and close the door behind him. "Get out! Get out of my house! Leave me alone, Get _out!_" Kurt tried to get around him to the door but Karofsky punched him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Kurt doubled over and cried out in pain.

"Not a chance, Homo. You know how I knew you were here? Your _gay_ brother's _darling _facebook status." Karofsky spat as he advanced on the hurting boy.

"So you're singing along to some _gay_ Christmas music, huh?" He shoved him toward a wall as he mocked him. "Your _stupid_ singing sounds like a girl, and I do not like it. It gives me a headache. So have you heard that it's gotten around?" He asked, pinning Kurt's shoulders to the wall behind him, simultaneously knocking a picture of his mother off the wall. Kurt whimpered and looked down, veritably giving up. "That's why I'm here you know. You were _clearly_ warned that if you told _anyone_ that you'd be dead. Well first, I think you need to learn a lesson about keeping your _mouth shut!_"

Karofsky punched him in the throat, and Kurt let out a stifled shriek of pain. "See? Exactly what I mean, you _fag_!" he accentuated the name with a punch to the gut. "You need to learn to _keep quiet!_" He punched Kurt in the face this time, and then once again in his throat.

Kurt's mind was reeling in shock. All of his defenses had flown out of his mind, being caught off-guard. His legs were about to give out but Karofsky was pinning his shoulders to the wall so hard it hurt. His throat was screaming in pain, partially from the sobs he realized he was letting out and partially from the beating Karofsky was ruthlessly assaulting his throat with. He didn't stop until Kurt was bruised badly, especially around his throat, unconscious, and Karofsky himself was crying from the intense confusion he felt.

Karofsky sped away home and spent the night locked in his room, ashamed of so many things. He did resent Kurt and hated him for telling everyone. Kurt had deserved what Karofsky had done to him.

Not long after Karofsky's car had sped off into the night, Burt, Carole, and Finn pulled up, laughing and smiling. Their team had won and they were looking forward to Kurt's sure to be fantastic dinner. They opened the unlocked door, unsuspectingly and entered.


	6. Aftermath

"Kurt…?" Finn was the first into the house. It smelled like something was burning and there was a picture knocked off the wall in the hallway. He walked quickly into the kitchen. "Oh my God!" Kurt was on the floor looking bruised with many small cuts as well as a black eye. Finn was down next to him in a second checking his pulse. It was slow and faint.

"Burt! Call an ambulance! Mom, get the food off the stove, it almost started a fire." Finn used what he remembered of his first aid training to make it easiest for Kurt to breathe as they waited for the ambulance to arrive.

Burt was petrified and wouldn't let go of Kurt's hand. He actually started crying when Finn pulled down the top of Kurt's turtleneck to try to get a better pulse, revealing that his throat was bruised the worst out of anywhere. Carole had tears in her eyes as she showed the EMT's to the kitchen and Finn explained what he'd done and how they'd found him. They soon were hoisting Kurt into the ambulance and Burt was climbing in to ride with him while Finn would drive Carole to the hospital.

Burt had held Kurt's hand the whole way to the hospital, and when Kurt's eyes fluttered, he caught his dad staring at their entwined fingers. It felt so dream-like. Their roles were reversed since the hospital just a few weeks ago.

There was so much pain. Every part of Kurt's body ached. The back of his head was pounding and his throat throbbed. He wanted to say something but he couldn't force the words out. He felt as if he never wanted to talk again. He simply closed his eyes and fell back into a dreamless sleep.

He awoke in a hospital bed, aching everywhere. By the look of the room it was morning. He wrinkled his nose as he looked around the room. He hated the smell of hospitals. He did wonder what had happened to land him here though, of all places… He looked around and found his dad asleep in the chair next to his bed and the clock across the room reading half past 7am.

Kurt tried to yawn but the second he opened his mouth his throat throbbed in protest of the strain. He looked himself over and frowned. Whatever it was, was bad. He had bruises everywhere but he couldn't remember what had happened. He knew he had a terrible headache, though. He reached up to touch the spot and encountered a heavy bandage.

Everything rushed back to him; The Christmas music, the dinner, the doorbell, then…_him_. He immediately broke down in tears. He couldn't tell anyone, he knew it. Karofsky had promised to rightfully finish him off if he told anyone who it was that beat him up, that much he remembered quite clearly. He was so scared. He tried to pull himself together and managed narrowly to stop crying.

A nurse came in shortly after with Ms. Pillsbury. He wanted to greet the counselor he missed, but nothing came out, yet again.

"Kurt?" Ms. Pillsbury sat softly down at the foot of his bed. "You're alright now, you're safe…You know that, right…?" He must have looked scared. He nodded slightly. "I want to talk to you about what happened…Your dad, and Finn and his mom are all very concerned."

Kurt wanted to say something, anything, but he didn't know what. He simply stared blankly at her.

Ms. Pillsbury's eyebrows furrowed. "Can you talk, Kurt…?" She asked, slowly, hoping and praying that he would answer. His eyes grew wide, realizing what she was realizing, and shook his head no, ever so slightly.

"Ah…Alright. I'm going to let you rest in just a moment. I want to know one thing…Do you remember what happened last night?" Kurt winced and Ms. Pillsbury took that as a yes. "I'm very sorry Kurt. I hope you feel better. We all miss you at McKinley. Goodbye, Kurt." She got up and left. He heard her voice humming in the hallway in low whispers.

A nurse came in and Kurt closed his eyes, pretending to be resting. She shook his dad and whispered. He got up and followed the nurse out. Kurt frowned. He didn't want to talk. He didn't want to talk to anyone, about how he felt, or what had happened, or who it was. It was too painful. Physically, from the beating, but emotionally too.  
Scaring Kurt more than anything, the fact that Karofsky promised to follow through on his original threats should Kurt tell anyone who did this to him, loomed over his consciousness.

The day went slowly and painfully for Kurt. His dad and Carole talked to him a lot, kept asking if he was okay, and saying how they were worried. He didn't utter a single word the entire time.

He wanted to cry when Finn came in, mid-afternoon, looking exhausted, and worried, and so sad.

"Mom, Burt, can I have a minute alone with him?" He asked breathlessly.

"Wait we haven't gotten to talk to you about…" Carole started to protest

"The nurse filled me in." Finn interrupted shortly, solemnly.

The parents left looking weary and Finn came over close to Kurt. "It was Karofsky, wasn't it? Rachel called me up in _tears_. He _kissed _you? And you didn't tell me? Are you crazy? People need to know this!" He strained to keep his voice at a whisper.

Kurt's eyes were sad as he shook his head shortly.

"I don't care. I'm telling Ms. Pillsbury." He said backing up again.

Kurt's eyes popped as he shook his head furiously this time. His eyes pleaded with Finn.

"Man, I thought you could trust me. I wanted to be here for you. Now you won't even talk? What the _hell_ man." He sounded offended and disgusted. Guilt crept into Kurt's mind, but he fought it back. This had nothing to do with Finn, what else was Kurt supposed to do? He was close to tears, though. This whole situation was emotionally draining. He wanted to say something but when he started to try it just hurt too badly. He just couldn't force the words out.

"Y'know, Kurt, I keep wanting to say 'give me one good reason why I shouldn't' but you can't even respond!" He ran his hand through his hair frustrated. "You didn't talk to me when you had the chance and now it's lost. Gone. I can't stand this Kurt." Finn had tears in his eyes when he turned back. "I wish you would've talked to me. I'm trying to be a leader, and good person, and do both Glee and Football, and all that nonsense at school, but if you can't even talk to me about something important and I'm your _brother_ now, then what good is it even doing?"

Kurt wanted to say something to comfort Finn. Just like he'd wanted to say something to his dad; to Mrs. Pillsbury; surely to many more people to come. Yet again, he couldn't force the painful words out.

Finn looked away from Kurt and ran his hand through his hair, composing himself.

"I won't tell anyone. Not yet. But you need to come to terms with this. Karofsky is sick, absolutely sick, and really needs to get some attention." Finn said finally.

Kurt took a deep breath and nodded. Finn looked sadly at Kurt again, and turned to leave. Rachel came in just then with a small bouquet of flowers. The two looked awkwardly at each other for a moment before Finn walked out. Rachel set the flowers on Kurt's beside table.

"I'm so sorry, Kurt. This is all my fault." Rachel said, starting again to tear up.

Kurt shook his head furiously.

"No, it's true, I told you not to worry and now look at you…" She gestured to Kurt.

Just then there was a knock on the open door. Rachel and Kurt both looked up and saw a shy and worried looking Blaine standing in the doorway. Rachel stood up and walked quickly over to him. She thrust her hand out. "Hello, I'm Rachel Berry. You're Blaine Anderson, lead soloist of the Warblers. It's a pleasure to meet you." He opened his mouth a bit surprised.

"Oh, uh, hi." He said distractedly and Kurt smiled.

"Well, I'll come see you later, Kurt. I'll leave you two to talk." She said and Blaine glanced back at Kurt. "Well, for you to talk to Kurt…" She said frowning.

"Right…" Blaine said slowly. Rachel waved to Kurt and then left. "Hi Kurt…" Blaine said as he walked over to the bed. Kurt smiled sadly at him. "Wow…" Blaine said, looking Kurt up and down. "I can't believe you're laying there…helpless and silent." He couldn't break his gaze away from Kurt's bruised neck. "I'm so sorry." He said breathlessly as he fisted his hair frustrated. Kurt sat up, looking at him closely. His eyes were red and the spaces under them were lightly purpling. Kurt leaned up so his face was close to Blaine's. Blaine's mouth opened in surprise as Kurt took his thumb and brushed just under Blaine's eye, wondering if he had been crying.

Blaine turned away harshly and pressed his hand to the spot where Kurt's thumb had brushed. Kurt blushed and frowned. He closed his hand at sat back, watching Blaine from the corner of his eye. His chest rose with a deep breath, and then fell in a deep exhale.

"I'm sorry." Blaine said softly, coming closer to Kurt. Kurt raised an eyebrow questioningly at him. "It surprised me." He explained. Kurt nodded. "I knew you were supposed to talk to your family about…the situation last night. Then you didn't answer my call." He said, not meeting Kurt's eyes. "I was worried." He said softly, looking at him timidly. Kurt smiled. "And then I heard this morning." He looked away. "I can't believe this happened to you," He said breathlessly. He looked at him with moistening eyes. "I'm so sorry…" Kurt shook his head, trying to show Blaine he was alright, but the movement stretched the skin of his throat and he winced involuntarily. Blaine took Kurt's hand and rubbed soothing circles with his thumb. "I brought you some music." Blaine said, taking out his iPod.

There was a playlist entitled "Kurt." Kurt smiled and looked through it with his free hand. Blaine was still holding Kurt's other hand, and whether he realized it or not, it made Kurt feel a lot better. All of Kurt's favorite songs were in the playlist, _Defying Gravity_ from _Wicked_, _The Time Warp_ from_ Rocky Horror Picture Show,_ as well as _Hey Soul Sister_ by Train, and a few other favorites Kurt was always humming.

Kurt smiled brightly and hugged Blaine, careful not to hit his throat. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth of being close to him. Even if they weren't dating it was nice to have a friend that could be there for him when things went wrong, even if it was difficult.


End file.
